When You Look At Me
by aspiringtoeloquence
Summary: An assortment of tumblr drabbles/oneshots of varying lengths, some AU, some prompted and some based on artwork. All Klaine, with gratuitous amounts of fluff, and some of it future... but not all . Guest appearances by New Directions and the Warblers.
1. The Very Thought of You

**The Very Thought of You (Pillow)**

In case you were wondering, Kurt missed Blaine.

He knew he was only going to be out of town for three days on business, and he also knew that he was getting texts from him at ridiculously frequent intervals, telling Kurt how much he missed him, commenting on how cold it was, or how stupid this one girl's shoes were.

He knew Blaine hated to be gone from their bed as much as Kurt hated sleeping alone.

But he still curled up with his husband's pillow, smelling the scent he couldn't get enough of - mint shampoo, and citrus-y cologne, and a little of Kurt's lotion (because sometimes a little ended up on him, okay?). He still wished he was there.

And so when he woke up on the second day to find Blaine's arms wrapped around him, and his voice telling him some of the meetings had been cancelled, and he'd gotten the first flight back he could find, he smiled into the pillow. Then he rolled over.

Because now he had the real thing.

* * *

><p><em>[AN: This is going to be a series of drabbles taken from my tumblr masterpost, which is linked in my profile. The prompt will be in parentheses, if it is not the title of the chapter. They have no timeline and are not part of a particular canon, and are, by and large, ridiculously fluffy. I have rated this T for now, because none of them are particularly graphic, but some do discuss slightly more mature topics and/or contain language, and so could be considered for older teens. I will endeavor to warn at the beginning of those, but I am comfortable with rating this T overall. I hope you enjoy. Also, thanks go to Caitlin for helping me select the overall title from my list of options.]_


	2. Cashmere

Blaine had always been a sucker for soft things. Blankets, other people's pets, hair, you name it. He was a snuggler at heart, but Dalton had kind of forced him to tone it down a little.

Not verbally, you understand. God, no. But when he was starting at the school he had decided it would be better not to go stroke random people in the hallways, telling them they had a really soft scarf. He had also learned this at his old school, and the bruises had hurt.

So when he went shopping with Kurt, and found a gorgeous green cashmere sweater, that he didn't need, but he wanted so much, because it was so soft, and he could not stop running his hands on it, and even touching it to his cheek, and then he had to leave to have dinner with his parents, and a couple of weeks later Kurt got him the sweater as a birthday present, he nearly cried.

Because Kurt had no idea how much it meant to him that he had remembered, that he had noticed, that he hadn't thought it was weird that the sweater had reminded him of his childhood, when his grandfather used to pick him up and spin him around, hugging him so close to his chest that young Blaine's cheek rubbed on the soft fabric.

He explained a little bit, trying to thank him properly, and he got the idea that Kurt understood a little, and was pleased.

He didn't know, though, that that was the moment when Blaine later realized he has truly fallen in love with Kurt Hummel.

He wore that sweater a lot. At home, at school… and years later, when they went out to dinner, and he proposed?

He wore it then too. For luck.


	3. ND Selling Cookies for Nationals

_[A/N: This was written in March, and was made AU pretty much immediately. With that in mind...]_

* * *

><p>Kurt had known that car looked familiar.<p>

To be fair, he'd been distracted. Brittany was, two months later, still excited to have him back, and was trying to pet him as they hit up the richest neighborhoods in Westerville, cookies in hand.

Trips to New York for nationals didn't pay for themselves.

They'd been divided into groups. Finn, Tina, Mike, Mercedes and Artie had decided to work the wheelchair angle, and had taken a long street across town. Santana, Sam, Quinn (Kurt couldn't help but think Rachel had sort of planned that), Puck, and Lauren were a few streets over.

Which left Kurt, Rachel, and Brittany.

Never had Kurt texted Mercedes with such speed or frequency. In fact, he was glued to his phone, and had been for weeks, and it wasn't entirely because he was addicted to Angry Birds (although he was).

If he was honest with himself, he was waiting for a text. Or a call. Something.

Worst of all, he knew it was his own damn fault it hadn't come.

When he'd announced, right after the Warblers forfeited at sectionals, as a statement after getting flack about the male/male duet Kurt and Blaine had performed, that he was going back to McKinley, Blaine had been hurt. He'd been very hurt. He hadn't been surprised, though.

And when they'd talked about it, carefully avoiding the real issues (Why do you want me to stay? How do you feel about me?), Kurt hadn't been able to handle the pure, unadulterated understanding in his eyes, and had suggested that they take some time to adjust to things being different. Apart.

Blaine had looked like Kurt had kicked him in the stomach, and ruthlessly murdered his bunny rabbit. Kurt had started to cry, and walked out just as Blaine quietly agreed to whatever he wanted.

So he was waiting. Because he had no idea how to fix this. He was beginning to think that Blaine wasn't the only one who was clueless. Mercedes and Tina were on Team Stop-whining-and-call-him-so-there-can-be-hot-makeup-sex(whiteboy). Him pointing out that there would be no sex of any kind had precisely no effect whatsoever.

So he was waiting. And selling cookies. And trying to get Brittany to _stop petting him_. Which is why he didn't notice the car.

He rang the doorbell of the big house with a sigh, watching Rachel plaster on her huge fake smile.

Then the door opened and he nearly dropped the cookies.

"SPY!" Rachel shrieked.

Blaine jumped. "Um… you came to my door," he pointed out. "And you already beat us." His eyes hadn't left Kurt. "Hey."

"Hey."

Rachel seemed to have pulled herself together. She began her speech. "We're selling cookies to support New Directions, our Glee Club, in it's bid to win Nationals this year. Nationals are -"

Blaine's eyes were still on Kurt. "I know what Nationals are, Rachel. I was competing for them."

Her fake smile dipped into a frown. "Fine. We are selling -"

"How many cookies do you have?" Blaine was still staring at Kurt, and Kurt absolutely could not look away. He was wearing glasses, and in a t-shirt and jeans, his hair was messy, and Kurt had never wanted anyone or anything more in his life.

"About thirty," Brittany supplied. "Some of them are squished, because I sat on them in the car, but they still taste good. They were in the box. Except, you like boys, don't you. Would you like Kurt to sit on them for you?"

"I'll take them," Blaine said.

"Blaine," Kurt started. His name felt foreign and familiar at the same time - a sweet relief to say again. "You don't have to -"

"How much?"

"They're two dollars each," Rachel supplied obliviously. "So that comes to a total of -"

"I got it." He pulled a wad of bills out of his wallet, which was on the table next to the door."

"I didn't know you lived here," Kurt said, feeling the need to explain. "I've been to your house, this isn't -"

"We're staying here while our house is renovated. My mom is -" He stopped, self -concious. Kurt knew how good Blaine's relationship with his mother was, and anything that caused him that much pain hurt Kurt like a knife to the chest.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Blaine smiled fakely. Kurt hated it. "Here," he handed the wad of bills to Rachel. "Good luck. Let me know if you're selling any more cookies." He hesitated, then looked at Kurt. "Let me know if… if you need anything. I miss - I - bye, guys." He closed the door, and Kurt nearly collapsed on the pavement.

"There's a hundred dollars here!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly.

"He didn't take the cookies," said Britt in confusion. "You don't think it's because he's a dolphin, do you?" She looked at Kurt. "You're a dolphin, and you like cookies."

Kurt was having difficulty breathing. "Could you guys… could you guys go ahead and meet the others? I'll - I'll be there in a minute."

Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but in a moment of true kindness, Britt grabbed her by the sleeve. She leaned forward to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Dolphins should be happy," she smiled. "See you in a few?"

She dragged Rachel off, and turned to look at the large door again.

He took a deep breath.

He brought up his hand to knock.

The door flew open and a blue blur ran into him. "Kurt, I - ow!"

They ended up on the pavement, Blaine slightly pinning Kurt to the pavement. "Oops," Blaine blushed. "Sorry, I just -"

"I miss you," Kurt admitted quickly, before he lost the nerve, making no effort to move. "I miss you so much, and I've been waiting for you to call me, and that was stupid, because I'm the one who told you not to, and that was stupid too, and I -"

"Kurt?" Blaine was grinning down at him.

"Yes?"

"I forgot my cookies."

Kurt closed his eyes in mortification. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, I thought - I - I'm going to go die now, can we pretend like this -"

"Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if I could take recompense in another form. I'm kind of off chocolate today."

"What - what do you mean?"

"Well," said Blaine carefully, "how many cuddles would $100 dollars get me?" He saw Kurt's face. "I mean, if you wanted - I didn't mean - I was -"

He looked so confused, and worried, that Kurt knew exactly what to do. Not caring so much about his hair (although he was probably getting all kinds of dust in it now, could he and Blaine do NOTHING in a normal fashion?), or his clothes (admittedly, they weren't designer today - he'd been a bit depressed), Kurt brought a hand to each side of Blaine's face.

"This one's on me."

When their lips touched, they both heard the entirety of New Directions cheer and sigh in relief from the sidewalk.

Neither of them cared.

They were busy.


	4. Cuddles

_[A/N: Also written in March - some Pre-Klaine cuddles.]_

* * *

><p>Blaine can admit that he's jealous.<p>

He's also a rational human being, so he can admit that he has no right to be jealous, and that, on most levels, he is actually just being ridiculous.

When they watch movies at Dalton Kurt and Blaine always cuddle. It's an unspoken agreement. They aren't technically dating, but everyone knows that whatever the movie, be it The Notebook (a box of tissues every single time), Legally Blonde (and don't think Blaine hadn't gotten distracted by Kurt demonstrating the bend and snap), or Terminator (they'd both fallen asleep, Blaine curled up to Kurt's chest), no one steals Kurt or Blaine. They cuddle. It's a fact.

This is why he is so put out when he's invited to Kurt's New Directions sleepover, and as The Matrix begins (and how that got chosen Blaine will never understand), Kurt is immediately descended on for movie cuddling by Tina (Mike and the boys aren't there), Mercedes (he kind of expected that), Brittany (who's just so fun he can't mind) and, surprisingly, Quinn, who rests her head on Kurt's thigh. Santana would sooner chew off her own leg than cuddle right then, and she and Rachel are glaring at each other from opposite ends of the room. Blaine hasn't been able to keep up with why.

Brittany notices him sitting alone, and crawls over.

"Hey," she smiles. "Wanna cuddle? I promise I won't make out with you. Artie wouldn't like that. Neither would Kurt."

He laughs, wondering what that means. "Sure, Britt," he holds out his arms, "come here." She snuggles into him, and Kurt sees them and smiles. Blaine's heart skips a little, and his jealousy abates a bit. He gets Kurt all week. The least he can do is give the girls tonight.

By 2am all the girls are asleep, and Breakfast at Tiffany's is about half way through. To tell the truth, Blaine's starting to doze off when he feels the weight of Brittany's head gently lifted off his shoulder, and opens his eyes to see Kurt moving the sleeping girl onto a cushion and covering her with a blanket. Kurt looks over at him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

He shakes his head. "Why aren't you asleep?"

Kurt shrugs. "Not tired. You?"

"Not really." At that moment it's absolutely true. Blaine will stay up forever if it means alone time with Kurt. He notices the movie.

"Oh, this is my favorite part!"

"Me too." Kurt sits down next to him, and leans into his shoulder. Blaine wraps his arm around him automatically, and pulls him close, and eventually Kurt ends up leaning back against Blaine's chest, lying between his legs, watching Audrey Hepburn in all her glory.

Kurt looks up at him at some point, and just watches him for a few minutes, tightening the arms that are circled around his waist. "I missed this earlier."

Blaine smiles, and leans their foreheads together. "Me too."


	5. Duct Tape

_[A/N: Mild discussion of sex in a fairly innocent setting.]_

* * *

><p>"Truth."<p>

"You are no fun."

"Just give me the damn truth, Wesley."

"Fine. Your kinkiest sex dream."

Kurt flushed. "I -"

Blaine noticed his flushed cheeks, and leapt to his defense, like the knight he usually failed spectacularly at being. "Leave him alone, Wes, if he doesn't want to answer -"

Wes scowled at him. "Do not fuck with me, Hamilton, I know most of your dirty little secrets. Like that time last week when I walked -"

"Maybe we should move on," Blaine suggested quickly. "Truth or dare is boring."

"We were bored," David pointed out, leaning against his bed. Wes made a noise of agreement from his position languidly stretched out on his own. "It's Kurt's turn. I did my dare, I prank called Simmons. And Wes told us way more than I ever wanted to know about him and Jo. Fair's fair."

Blaine huffed. "Listen, if Kurt is uncomfortable, then-"

"No, it's fine," Kurt soothed, touching his roommate's arm. "They're right. I picked truth. I'll tell them… I'll tell them about it." He still looked uncertain, then smiled a little. "Even if Wes' desire to hear it does just confirm my belief that he has something to tell us."

Wes waved his phone at the room. "You'd be the first to know, Hummel. Well, second. David would be first."

Blaine coughed.

"Okay," Wes rolled his eyes. "Third. Before Jo, even. I'm straight right now, so can we get to the kinky?"

Kurt took a deep breath, and Blaine's eyes swiveled to him in what Wes deemed to be a totally hilarious amount of interest. He nearly suggested that he take notes.

"Well," Kurt began, "I suppose it's not really that kinky, but -"

David sighed. "Just get this over with, so we can make Blaine do something hilarious."

"Do not make me call Luce," Kurt threatened.

"Fine."

"Shut up, guys, Kurt's talking," said Blaine. Wes and David snorted quietly.

"Well, I'm outside," Kurt continued, shooting Blaine a grateful smile, "and we're under a big tree -"

"Phallic imagery," David pointed out wisely.

"Who's we?" trilled Wes innocently.

Kurt's mouth opened and closed silently a few times. "Ummm, no one. I mean… just a guy. I don't know. Anyway, we're under this tree, and it's warm, and light, but it's also raining -"

"That doesn't make sense," Wes objected.

"Well, I was being chased by a ten foot toaster in my dream last night, so I can't judge," offered David.

"Shut up," Blaine hissed, shifting the pillows he had been sitting on, and hugging one to his chest, leaning against Wes' bed, "keep going, Kurt."

"Well," he glared at Wes, "it's raining, and we're sheltering under the leaves, but the rain is warm, and I'm freaking out about my hair -"

"Are you sure this didn't actually happen?" David asked. Kurt ignored him.

" -and that we're going to be late, but he takes me by the hand, and he tells me that I look beautiful -"

"Aw," interjected Wes.

"-and suddenly I don't care, and so I kiss him, and we're up against the tree, and it's slow, and hot, and I'm running my fingers through his cur - through his hair, and he's kissing me all the way down my neck, and unbuttoning my shirt, kissing down my chest, and then, well…"

"Yeah?" Blaine breathed with significant interest, his eyes bugging out.

"Well, we have sex," Kurt mumbled, suddenly embarrassed.

"That is the least kinky thing I have ever heard," Wes complained. "Kinky requires handcuffs. Or food of an odd nature. Or some kind of body paint. Or duct tape."

David glanced at him before replying. "It's cute, though." He ruffled Kurt's hair, something which earned him a smack to the back of the head. "So vanilla. Blaine, your turn."

"Huh?" said Blaine.

Wes waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Blaaaaine." He turned to Kurt. "Don't mind him. He likes the outdoors."

Kurt choked on his mineral water.

"Truth or dare, Blaaaaine," Wes asked. David rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Dare," Blaine said absently.

David frowned. "Fine." He paused, then grinned. "I want you to make Kurt's dream come true."

It was worth it to hear the strangled noises of disbelief from both boys' mouths.

And when, four and a half months later, on their three month anniversary, Kurt and Blaine announced they'd be gone for the day, because they were going for a long walk, and having a picnic in the woods, and they hoped it wouldn't rain, Wes and David exchanged knowing looks.


	6. Sandcastles

"Blaine Anderson, I swear upon all that is holy that if you dump that salt water on me you will regret it for the rest of your celibate existence."

Blaine froze with the bucket poised over his boyfriend. "You don't even have your eyes open," he objected.

Kurt waved a hand. "I know these things. Away with you."

He huffed. "Fine." He put the bucket down and crawled onto the blanket next to him, enjoying the shade of the umbrella. He placed a hand on the skin of Kurt's arm. "Having fun?"

He tilted up his sunglasses and smiled. "It's nice. You were right. We did need a break."

"I'm always right."

"I wouldn't say that. Mercedes and Tina went to get ice cream. I told them you wanted chocolate, or coffee if they had it."

"I love you."

"Mhmm. Only because of the sugar."

"Can you believe we're done?"

"With high school? The epic summer road-trip would seem to remind me of that fairly frequently."

Blaine let his hand run up Kurt's arm. His boyfriend turned onto his side to look at him. "You look so cute right now."

Kurt scowled. "Cute is not what I was going for."

He pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Sexy? Alluring? Edible? You look all those things too, but we're in public. I wanted to keep it PG."

Kurt tilted his head. "I am wondering why my hot boyfriend in the swim trunks is not kissing me right now."

"I am wondering that too."

Theirs lips touched briefly, and there was the promise of more until -

"Ahem. AHEM. ICE CREAM. AHEM."

They broke apart to see Tina, Mercedes, Finn (who was looking a little uncomfortable) and Rachel holding ice-creams. Everyone else was either in the ocean or back at the motel. Rachel spoke up. "Blaine, yours is chocolate, they didn't have coffee." She held it out.

Tina handed Kurt his french vanilla, then went off to find Mike. Finn and Rachel followed, Finn dragging a squealing Rachel into the spray, and Mercedes hesitated.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sit down, 'Cedes. Blaine will control himself."

Blaine pouted. "Do I have to?" Mercedes laughed and settled next to them.

"You," she said to Kurt, "should get some sun."

"I'll burn."

"You're wearing a layer of Factor 50 thick enough to protect you from bullets."

"I can help you rub in more," Blaine offered hopefully.

"Nice try, Anderson," Kurt smiled, licking a dribble of ice cream that was melting down the side.

"Come play."

"Behave."

"No, in the ocean."

"No way."

"Fine… build a sandcastle with me?'

Kurt raised an eyebrow, taking another lick of his cone. "A sandcastle?"

"It'll be awesome," he pleaded with a mouthful of chocolate. "I am so good. I should be in one of those competitions." He saw Kurt's face soften. "Please? For me?"

He knew he'd won. "Fine," Kurt said, trying to hide a smile, "but I get to design the turrets."

"You two are sickening," Mercedes said cheerfully.

Kurt licked his ice-cream in a suggestive manner. Blaine took his hand and stood, pulling him up. Kurt handed Mercedes his cone, which she took with a smile, and followed his boyfriend into the sun.

"Can I have a lick of your ice-cream?" he asked.

Blaine grinned as he kneeled in an untouched patch of sand. "Anytime, baby."

Kurt leant down to lick up some of the chocolate, then immediately went in for a kiss. The taste of vanilla and chocolate, Kurt and Blaine, assaulted his senses. Kurt pulled away after a long moment.

"So, this sandcastle. I think we should plan five bedrooms, but it is a palace, so -"

"Kurt," Blaine cut in, "you know I love you for more than just the sugar, right?"

Kurt kneeled next to him and took the hand that wasn't holding the ice-cream, casually twining their fingers together as he reached for the nearby bucket.

"I know."


	7. Anyone But You

**Anyone But You** ("Baby Teeth")

Kurt knew he shouldn't keep secrets from his husband.

But what else was he supposed to do?

He knew he was in love with Blaine. He knew Blaine was in love with him. He also knew that they didn't necessarily want the same things in life.

And he'd heard Blaine tell Wes that he couldn't see himself having a family.

He knew he shouldn't have been listening. He'd gone to get the design he wanted to show Jo, and she'd gone out to the car to grab her latest journals for him to look at, and when he got back downstairs he'd overheard part of the conversation before he forced himself to go back upstairs for a minute and re-enter. When he had Blaine had smiled at him - that beautiful, heartbreakingly perfect smile that Kurt knew was only his, and he wondered how they'd gotten married, been together for so long, without ever having that conversation. He'd always just assumed that one day Blaine would want a family, just like he did. He was negotiable as to size, but he wanted to be a father. He wanted his father to be a grandpa. And he sure as hell loved the idea of Blaine as a Dad. He was _amazing_ with children…

It was too bad he never wanted them.

Kurt stayed silent for months, and he knew it wasn't just hurting him. Blaine could tell he wasn't completely happy, and that made him unhappy. And the horrific thing of it was… if this hadn't been plaguing him, those few months probably would have been the happiest of his life. Of their lives. They were married, in love, living in an apartment they adored, with wonderful friends and jobs they cared about.

Kurt couldn't help wondering if they could have had more than this. Not necessarily then, but one day. It kept him awake, watching his beautiful husband as he slept, distracted him when they were walking down the street and saw a mother with a baby, broke his heart a little when Jo called him and told them she was pregnant. His congratulations were so heartfelt. So were his tears.

And a few weeks after that he came home from work, a little later than usual, to find Blaine sitting on the couch with two mugs of tea in front of him (that meant it was serious. Usually it was coffee).

"Can we talk?"

Kurt took off his scarf and dropped it on the coffee table. "Of course."

"I mean, really talk, because this is starting to get to me."

"What are you talking about?"

His voice went quiet and he looked down at the mug. "Do you not want to be here, Kurt?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Is this… is marriage not what you wanted? You seem do unhappy, and I just… I can't stand it. I won't be angry with you, I swear. I just want you to be happy, baby. That's all I've ever wanted for you - for us. If it isn't here, or even with me, then -"

Kurt took him by the chin and tilted his head so their eyes met. "Listen to me. I do not know where you are coming up with this, but I do not want you to doubt for a second that I intend to be with you, to be married to you, to sleep in that bed next to you every single night for the rest of my life. And that includes nights where either of us are out of town. So you'd better get on that."

He smirked briefly. "I'm glad. But… Kurt, something has been bothering you. I can see it. It's everywhere. And it's… I need you to tell me. I know you'd never lie to me, but… I need to know. I need to know what it is, so I can tell you it doesn't matter, or we can fix it, or whatever. Because there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He took Kurt's hand off of his chin and brought it to his cheek. "_Nothing_, okay?"

Kurt hesitated. He didn't hesitate because he didn't believe him. Quite the contrary. He knew it was true, knew that Blaine really would do anything for him. But he didn't want him to. He didn't want his husband to agree to something because he thought it would make him happy. He wanted him to want it, and nothing was going to make that happen. No promise would do that.

But he couldn't lie. He couldn't. He felt Blaine lean his head into his palm.

"I…I love you," he began.

"I know that," Blaine said softly. "I love you too."

"I'm so happy with you, us, we're - we're so good, Blaine. We're so good together."

"I know that too," he smiled gently.

"I love everything that we are, but sometimes… sometimes I want there to be more."

He felt Blaine tense. "You mean…"

"Yeah."

He saw Blaine swallow. "You want… to see other people?"

He dropped his hand. "What? No… what?"

"More, you want… I thought you - maybe you were, I don't know, bored, or -"

"You are insane," Kurt informed him. "I didn't mean I wanted to start - just, no! God. I - I can't even -why? Is that… are you -"

"No!" He said quickly. "No, I just… I want you to be happy. I want you to have whatever you want."

"Oh. What I meant was… I wonder if maybe… a family. Kids, you know. Or just one. More than just us. But I know that's not what you want, so I -"

"Wait, wait, wait." He held up his hand. "What are you saying? You're freaking out because you want a family?"

"No, I'm freaking out because I know you don't!"

There was silence.

"What makes you say that?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I heard you. I heard you tell Wes that you couldn't see yourself wanting a family. I was there, and I shouldn't have been listening, but…"

"When?"

"What?"

"When did you hear that?"

"When Jo and Wes came over, and you and Wes were talking and - you know, Blaine, laughing at me right now does not seem like a particularly spouse-y thing to do. I am not -"

"Kurt, did you hear the rest of the conversation?"

"Or course I didn't, I don't eavesdrop."

"Only for the controversial snippets?"

"… what?"

"I didn't see myself having a family _with anyone but you_, Kurt."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Really? You aren't just -"

"A boy and a girl. Or two boys. Or two girls. I don't mind. As long as they're ours."

"Hmm?"

"Two. I want two. I'm open to negotiation, though. I mean, if you -"

"You want a family? With me?"

"Were you not listening? About the 'not with anyone but you'… " He brought his hand up to brush a wisp of hair out of his husband's eyes.

"…it is possible that I missed that." Kurt's eyes had been filled with tears, and one leaked out. Blaine pressed into his with his thumb, then kissed it.

"This is what has been eating away at you?"

He let out a breath - the breath that held months of tension. "Yeah."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I wanted you to be happy."

"Kurt, it is physically impossible for me to be happy unless you are."

He smiled. "That's stupid."

"No, that's me being in love with you."

Kurt leaned their foreheads together. "I am so stupid."

"Sometimes. Ouch!" He winced as he was poked in the ribs. "Not nice."

"I hope our children learn tact from me."

"As long as I get to teach them how to dance - ow! Not okay!" He pulled him into a hug. "Please talk to me. We're good at that. We've always been good at that."

"I promise."

He pulled away briefly. "So… a family, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean, not right now, necessarily…"

"Right. We'll need a bigger place…"

"And we should wait until we're more financially stable, I mean, we're good, but…"

"Right. But soon. Soon, right?"

Kurt smiled. "Soon."

There was another pause, then Blaine stood up and pulled Kurt up by the hand. "We should go practice."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Practice what?"

"Making babies. I saw the videos in health class. I know how it happens."

Kurt snorted. "I think you may have dozed off in one or two of them."

Blaine waved his hand dismissively. "Details. Besides, this is another thing we're good at."

"We're good at a lot of things."

"But this one looks like the most fun right now. Unless you don't -"

Kurt quickly cut in. "I didn't say that."

Blaine grinned. "I should listen more closely."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "I am going to make you pay for that."

Blaine sighed as he was pulled into the bedroom. "My life is so difficult."

"You love it."

"…I kinda do."


	8. Opera

Blaine knew taking his mother's offer of her season tickets was a bad idea.

But Kurt had just sounded so excited when he'd mentioned them in passing earlier, saying he'd never been to an opera, only watched them on TV, and his eyes had lit up in the way that made something in Blaine's stomach flip, and so when his mom had called to say that she and Hal were double booked on Saturday, and she knew it wasn't his thing, but did he want their tickets for La Boheme…

Well, he didn't entirely think it through.

For example, he didn't think about the fact that it was black tie, so when he opened the door to their dorm room on Saturday, wearing his Armani suit, the one he pretended to hate, but secretly loved, because he knew that the jacket made him look just a little slimmer and longer than he actually was, he was going to find Kurt also in black tie.

In the_ Kurt Hummel _version of black tie.

And holy ever-loving wow, did that make him pause for a minute. Or even a few.

Because Jesus Christ, did that boy look nice in a tux. And he was also wearing a white scarf, and his bow tie wasn't tied yet, and…

Blaine was having difficulty thinking of things that did not involve kissing his roommate into oblivion.

Kurt looked up. "Oh, hey," he smiled. "What do you think?"

What Blaine was thinking is not entirely appropriate to report here. Let's just say it involved lips, not much thinking, and the bed that was less than five feet from them.

"You look… wow…"

"I'll take that as a compliment." He tied his tie deftly, looking in the mirror, adjusted a strand of hair that he deemed unsatisfactory, then turned to Blaine. "You ready?"

"Yeah," he managed, not moving. Kurt took his arm.

"Let's go."

They left, Blaine still trying to absorb the fact that he had a cute boy on his arm, a cute boy that he lived with, who was going to the opera with him, and was his best friend, and looked absolutely gorgeous, and… well, he might sorta be kind of in love with.

He decided the opera wasn't as bad as he'd previously thought.


	9. Tire Swing

They were in the back yard at Blaine's house when it happened.

Blaine was pushing Brittany on the tire swing, Lucy and Santana were arguing with Kurt and Quinn about the danger level of a specific cheerleading move while sunbathing, Jo and Tina were watching David and Mike have a dance-off on the grass, and Wes and Puck were off discussing something nefarious. Rachel and Finn hadn't been seen in a few minutes, and everyone suspected they'd gone back to one of the cars to make-out.

Brittany was chatting away as she swung up and down, squealing whenever Blaine pushed her particularly high, and making him laugh with her assertion that once, when she was little, the monster under her bed had told her that if she swung too high she'd disappear - but she trusted Blaine, so it was okay.

After a few minutes Santana looked ready to cut a bitch, so Brittany skipped over to distract her, and Blaine took Kurt by the hand.

"Come here," he smiled. "I'll push you."

Kurt looked at the tire-swing, then at his new jeans. "You have got to be joking."

Blaine pulled out the puppy dog eyes, the ones that made it very hard for Kurt to remember they were just friends. "We haven't hung out all day, not just us. Please?"

He rolled his eyes and silently made a mental note to pick up stain remover, fighting a smile. "Fine. Honestly…"

He floated over to the large oak tree, wrapping himself around the tire gracefully. He looked up to find Blaine staring at him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, just… you just looked… really young for a second there. It was… it was adorable." He crossed behind him and pushed him gently. "It just made me wonder what you were like when you were… well, the age I was when I got this. Six, seven…"

Kurt turned. "I was fabulous, obviously. Just smaller. Probably still taller than you, though."

Blaine rolled his eyes and pushed him a little harder. "Uh-huh. You know what? I take it back. You're not in the least adorable."

"You don't mean that," Kurt tossed over his shoulder airily, swinging his legs childishly. He leaned back a little to stick his tongue out at him, but nearly overbalanced and righted himself with a squeak.

Blaine didn't know if it was the squeak itself or the tongue that did it, but before he knew it he was grabbing the swing - and Kurt - on the backswing, stilling it, and stepping close to speak right into his ear.

"You're right," he breathed, "I don't."

His lips were millimeters away from the shell of Kurt's ear, and he heard, rather than saw, his friend's breath quicken.

And then Kurt leaned into him, and Blaine's lips touched his ear softly, gently.

They both closed their eyes, and neither of them moved, Kurt bracing his legs on the ground.

"Blaine," he said unsteadily, "I think I would like to go inside for a few minutes."

"Mmmhm," Blaine managed, breathing in in the smell of lotion and shampoo. "I think that is a very, very good idea. Have you seen my couch? The couch is very nice."

Kurt reluctantly pulled away and hopped off the swing, holding out his hand. "Show me."


	10. Apple Juice

Kurt blinked at the glass in front of him.

"That's apple juice," he said intelligently.

"Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner. He can correctly identify fruit juice from less than a foot away." Wes shoveled another piece of toast into his mouth.

"But… I always drink orange juice," Kurt said, still not entirely with the program.

Blaine shrugged next to him, but looked a little concerned, as he took the box of cereal Kurt had grabbed him off his roommate's tray and switched it with his own fruit salad, also pushing over a cup of coffee. "They were out, I wasn't sure… is apple okay?"

Kurt blinked at him. "I can't remember the last time I had apple juice. Probably when it came out of a box with a straw."

"You haven't had apple juice in years?" David looked appalled.

"But it's delicious," Blaine objected.

"I loved juice boxes," Wes sighed nostalgically. "And string cheese. String cheese was the best."

"You had string cheese yesterday," Blaine pointed out.

"Yes, but it isn't the same. It has to be in a lunchbox, with the juice box, and a sandwich, and a note from my Mom telling me to have a good day at school, signed with kisses."

Kurt's posture altered a little, and Blaine shot Wes a look that could have killed.

"I -um… I mean… apple juice is good. Go for it, Kurt. Live a little."

Kurt smiled, glanced over at Blaine, then picked up the glass and took a sip. He raised an eyebrow. "It's better than I remember."

David grinned. "Told you. Fucking delicious."

* * *

><p><em>[AN: I forgot to add a note in the last chapter that any mention of Lucy or Jo refers to original characters who belong to my dear friend Keitorin Asthore. She lets me borrow them with kind permission.]_


	11. Puppies

"No." Kurt said. "We don't have room."

"We have so much room," Blaine objected, gesturing to the garden. "I'll look after it, I swear."

"Blaine," Kurt said patiently, "we cannot get a puppy."

"But they're _so cute_!" he argued.

"What will not be cute is when he or she sheds all over my armani."

Blaine just kept looking at him pleadingly. Kurt tried to stay strong. He really did. But the truth is, when Blaine looked at him like that… it was difficult. Very difficult to think.

Then Blaine kissed him, and it was all over.

"Fine," Kurt mumbled into his lips. "I'll think about it."

Blaine smiled into the kiss. "Yay! Puppy!"

Kurt snorted, their lips inches apart. "You are such a dork."

"Mmmhmm," Blaine agreed. "But I'm a dork with a really cute boyfriend who's going to get me a puppy."

Kurt didn't bother to object. He was busy.


	12. Sway

_[A/N: The song is Sway, by The Perishers - one of my favorites. (Any Veronica Mars fans out there?)]_

**Reality**, by aspiringtoeloquence (Prompt: Sway)

It didn't go just like he'd imagined.

The way he'd imagined (but hadn't really allowed himself to hope), his prom night would be magical - he'd walk down the stairs to find his date, who would be looking almost as fabulous as him, they'd get in their limo, get to prom, and he'd be taken by the hand, led onto the dance floor (which kind of resembled the banquet hall in Ever After more than the McKinley gym) and then… well, everything blurred, and the music faded, and he could feel arms around him, and everything was perfect.

Truth be told, he never in a million years thought it would happen, but he could dream. And he did. For someone as brave as him, just like his Dad had said.

And then there was Blaine.

Blaine, who held his hand within a minute of introducing himself. Blaine, who drove for two hours to confront Kurt's bullies when they'd known each other for less than a week. Blaine, who had seen him cry, and helped him, and trusted him with his past, and needed him, and been there for him, and…

Well, if the presence in those prom dreams had gotten a little specific since Kurt had transferred to Dalton, then Kurt couldn't help it.

And then Blaine kissed him.

And not only did he discover what everyone had meant about kissing being really, really great - fantastic, even (_can there be more of that now?_) - he also started to think that maybe he might get his slow dance.

And when he transferred back to McKinley, and prom tickets went on sale, and Kurt couldn't quite work up the courage to ask his boyfriend (he had a boyfriend. A _boyfriend_, who was_ his_ boyfriend, and was adorable, and smart, and r_eally really attractive_ and… did we establish the boyfriend part?), and they went to dinner one night, and Blaine said he'd been talking to Mercedes, and he kind of wanted to ask Kurt something… and then he asked if maybe Kurt would let him escort him to the McKinley prom?

Kurt was inwardly freaking out about what he would wear, but he was also becoming more and more convinced that he must have done something right sometime, because he had a really cute boy that liked him, and was sitting there asking him to prom like he wasn't actually certain that Kurt would want to go with him.

And when he came down the stairs on prom night, weeks later, having just helped Mercedes with her hair crisis while talking Tina down from her nervous breakdown over the color of her dress, having heard Rachel downstairs talking Blaine's ear off, with the occasional hum of Blaine or Anthony (who had _finally_ asked Mercedes out) trying to chime in, not entirely sure that his hair was perfect, and saw his boyfriend leaning casually against the wall near the door chatting to Carole about something or the other, and then saw him turn around…

Well, nothing blurred. Everything was crystal clear. The hazel warmth of Blaine's eyes as they lit up at the sight of him, the curve of his smile, the pause before his eyes raked appreciatively over the suit Kurt had found after hours of searching (and fixed a little, because it had needed to be be a little more fabulous), the way Blaine looked with his hair so much curlier than it used to be, in his suit, with his smile… everything was clear. And Kurt thought maybe that was better.

And yes, they did get to the dance (not in a limo, but in Blaine's car, because he'd won the argument over who would drive) and find that it was not, in fact, the set from Ever After, but the McKinley gym decorated with streamers and cheap cardboard stars. And when Blaine asked him to dance, and they walked out onto the floor, Kurt could hear the whispers of his classmates, see the threatening looks from some, even as the entirety of New Directions nonchalantly positioned themselves around them, a silent guard. And when Blaine took his hand and pulled him close Kurt was still a few inches taller than him, and it was a little awkward, because neither of them was entirely sure of the etiquette… but when they finally got comfortable, when Blaine had leaned his head into Kurt's neck, and they both finally listened to the lyrics… well, Kurt thought that maybe this - all of this - was better than the dream.

_"I talk to you as to a friend  
>I hope that's what you've<br>come to be  
>It feels as though we've<br>made amends  
>Like we found a way<br>eventually_

It was you who picked  
>the pieces up<br>When I was a broken soul  
>And then glued me<br>back together  
>Returned to me what<br>others stole

I don't wanna hurt you  
>I don't wanna make you sway<br>Like I know I've done before  
>I will not do it anymore<br>I've always been a dreamer  
>I've had my head among<br>the clouds  
>Now that I'm coming down<br>Won't you be my solid ground?…"

Because as Blaine held him, and whispered a hushed "I love you" in his ear, he realized that this, unlike the dreams, was _real_.


	13. Flashlight

It was dark.

It was dark, and Kurt was lost, and he was pretty sure he was going to die alone in these godforsaken woods, and he was not a huge fan of that idea. He had things to do.

He had things to do, like have his real first kiss with a boy, and graduate high school, and go to college, and have sex (not necessarily in that order), and get married, and…

Well, he had things to do, okay. And dying in a forest would kind of ruin some of those.

And, in case you were wondering, IT WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT that for most of the things on his list he kept imagining himself with someone he knew, someone with dark hair, and a killer smile, and eyes like a hazelnut latte on a cold day.

Not significant at all.

Stupid Blaine.

Stupid Blaine, and his stupid eyes, and stupid Wes for having the idea to hold rehearsals outside that afternoon, and stupid Kurt for wandering off to see what that flash of light on the forest floor had been.

It had been a mirror, a small compact that someone had dropped. And then Kurt had gotten turned around, and now it was dark, even though he'd only been there about half an hour, and eventually the battery in the flashlight on his keychain would run out, and then he would be killed by wolves. Or a tiger. There were tigers in Westerville, right? Knowing Kurt's luck there probably were.

He wondered if Blaine would cry at his funeral. He hoped he would.

Then he felt like a terrible person, so he sad down on a rock, the very picture of misery, and started to cry a little. Because he was lost, and alone, and wanted a hug.

Which is obviously when Blaine showed up, because that is just what he did.

"Oh my god Kurt where the hell have you been I was so worried what the hell were you thinking and why did you run off and… are you crying?"

He shook his head, which was stupid, because he obviously was. The beam from Blaine's flashlight lit up the streaks on his face, and Blaine sat down next to him immediately. "Hey… hey, come here." He held him close. "It's all good. Let me text Wes - honestly, if you're going to run off, at least take your fucking phone, what use was it in my pocket? Okay, sorry, no, I - don't cry, please, I don't mean it, I just - I freaked out a bit. It is possible that I may have yelled at Wes and David for a bit, and - you should, um… you shouldn't listen to what they tell you. They exaggerate, and, I mean, I was so worried about you, and -"

"Blaine?" Kurt sniffed.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If I kissed you, would it… would it be alright?"

Blaine paused, and Kurt cursed his stupid mouth. The flashlight beam pointed up, illuminating both their faces, so Kurt saw the exact second when Blaine's grin took over his face.

"Kurt, that would be totally alright with me. I am absolutely in favor of -"

Blaine talked too much sometimes, Kurt reminded himself as their lips met. Because sometimes he got a little lost too.


	14. Treasure

David and Wes had found a treasure map.

Well, to be more accurate, David had found a map with a cross on it, and both he and Wes were convinced that it was a treasure map.

Kurt pointing out that it looked like one of the maps at the Westerville information center had done nothing to dampen their excitement, which is why Kurt found himself sitting under a tree outside Dalton on Saturday afternoon, Blaine next to him strumming his guitar and making sarcastic comments, while David and Wes argued about how many steps it was from this tree to that.

They sat there all afternoon, singing and chatting about anything and everything as their two treasure-seeking friends became dirtier and more irritable, until both Wes and David eventually gave up and went to go change clothes.

Blaine and Kurt stayed.

As it started to get dark, Blaine turned to Kurt to say something, and Kurt cut him off with a soft touch of their lips.

When they walked back up to the school little while later, holding hands, Kurt remembered the map he still had his pocket.

It had brought him something after all.


	15. What To Wear

_A/N: This contains spoilers for the first episode of Season 3, based on set photos. If you do not wish to know things that seem to be occurring, then don't read this. (Of course, this is my interpretation, and will no doubt be Jossed immediately) Spoilers. SPOILERS. THIS IS A SPOILER WARNING. ONCE AGAIN. SPOILER SPOILER._

_If you are still reading this and you don't want to be spoiled, then I suggest you stop. NOW. Consider yourself warned._

* * *

><p><strong>What To Wear<strong>, by aspiringtoeloquence ("Blaine's new wardrobe", for Staelus)

Blaine Anderson was a private school boy.

For years his wardrobe five days a week was limited to a simple choice: Blazer, sweater, or sweater-vest.

Blaine had confided to Kurt that he didn't like the cut of the Dalton Sweater, so he'd usually stuck with the blazer, and occasionally, when he was feeling especially daring, paired it with the red sweater vest.

Hearing this, Kurt had kind of feared for his new friend's out-of-school wardrobe.

Kurt discovered, however, that while Blaine wasn't as avant garde or daring as he was himself (which made sense, all things considered), he knew how to dress. His style was a little more conservative, it was true, and Kurt believed that cardigans needed to be chosen more carefully and utilized far less regularly than Blaine did, but it was a general relief to him that, for the most part, he didn't feel the need to rip up any of his boyfriend's clothing.

_Off_ him, occasionally. But not _up_.

And Blaine knew enough about Kurt's style to be a valuable shopping companion upon occasion. Neither of them dressed the other, per se, but they'd pick out things that they could see the other wearing, and Kurt only had to scream a few times at the thought that Blaine thought he would wear _that_.

When Blaine finally decided to come to McKinley, and they realized that this meant he needed about three times the amount of clothing he currently possessed, Kurt actually rubbed his hands together in delight.

Blaine's face was a cross between fear and indulgent delight, and the fact that the fear was tempered with _anything else_ was a testament to his status as completely in love.

Blaine's first day was a Monday, and Kurt declared Saturday morning time for an official shopping trip. Blaine knew him well enough not to make any plans for later in the day.

They hit six stores in the first three hours, and Blaine accumulated a collection of polos, sweaters and (with Kurt's reluctant admittance that they did look good on him) cardigans.

Kurt was determined not to push him into wearing anything he wasn't comfortable with, no matter how good he would look in it, and confined himself to pieces he knew Blaine would like. When Blaine looked confused at the way he skipped entirely a rack of tight t-shirts with sequins, a design he had definitely commented that he had loved last time they were in the store, and even suggested Blaine would look good in, he smiled and shrugged.

"Just because it would look amazing on you doesn't mean you have to wear it. I know you… I know your style isn't the same as mine, and you… I want you to be comfortable being you." His smile widened. "Everyone'll be jealous, no matter what you wear."

If they had been anywhere other than in the middle of a crowded mall in Lima, Ohio, Kurt knew that Blaine would have kissed him. As it was, they settled for staring at each other for a moment, and letting Blaine's fingers twine briefly through his as they walked to pay.

He had jeans, and they were in one last store before lunch when Kurt spotted a heavily discounted scarf, and left the display of pants he'd been idly browsing. He returned to find Blaine he was gone, and a text revealed he was in the fitting room.

He settled himself on the bench outside, checking his texts ad scrolling though his facebook feed, until he heard a throat being cleared.

He looked up and had to stop himself from licking his lips, instead giving in to the urge to smile more widely that he thought was possible.

The shirt was a definite no - the style didn't suit Blaine's shoulders, and the shade of pale green was terrible, and didn't make anything pop enough, but…

"I really like the pants," Blaine said, kind of shyly. "It's not something I'd normally wear, but if you think they look okay…"

They were slightly short, a bright shade of red, and fairly tight, although not nearly as tight as what Kurt wore to school on a regular basis. They weren't the same as his own, which were more suited to his long legs. These looked great on Blaine. They were doing seriously amazing things to his legs (and Kurt's imagination), but before he answered Kurt didn't look at the fit, or the color.

He looked at Blaine's face as he looked at himself in the mirror, his chin a little higher, his eyes shining just a bit brighter.

"The pants are perfect," Kurt said. "You look perfect."

Blaine turned. "Really? I don't look -"

"You look happy," Kurt smiled, standing, leaving the various bags to put his hands on his boyfriend's waist and hook his chin over his shoulder. "If you like them, you should get them. You look amazing."

They made eye contact in the mirror for a moment, and one of Blaine's hands covered Kurt's where it rested on the beltloop of the red pants.

"But not the shirt, right?"

Kurt snorted and stepped back. "Oh, no, the shirt is hideous."

Blaine's laugh carried as he walked back into the dressing cubicle, throwing out ideas for which color shirt he could wear with those pants on Monday.

Kurt couldn't wait.


	16. Brittany

_A/N: I suppose this is AU now, at least as a "first", but I still require Brittany/Blaine interaction in Season 3._

* * *

><p>Blaine had been at McKinley for two days when Brittany, the blonde cheerleader he developed a fondness for on his first day, when some jock tried to push he and Kurt into a locker, and she asked loudly whether he'd cleared up that rash yet, the one that made him smell like feet, sat down next to him in Glee club and took his hand.<p>

"Hey, Brit," he smiled, squeezing it, "what's up?"

"I need to talk to you," she said seriously, her ponytail swinging.

He looked around to see that his boyfriend hasn't arrived yet, and panicked a little. "Did something happen to Kurt, oh my god, is he okay? Did someone hurt him?"

She looked confused, and her eyes got really big. "Someone hurt Kurt? We should tell Santana, she'll know what to do. We can -"

"Brit," Blaine interrupted, realizing he might have overreacted "what were you going to ask?"

"Oh," she calmed down. "Well, I just wanted to say that the reason I haven't made out with you isn't because you're not hot. I've made out with everyone, and some of them weren't hot. You're hot."

"Uh…" said Blaine. Brittany went on.

"And it isn't because you're a dolphin, because I don't think people should think there's a difference. I made out with Kurt," she said earnestly, "and that was fun."

"Uh huh," said Blaine, wondering if McKinley was such a good idea.

"But," she sighed, "I think if we made out, it would make Kurt sad, and that would make you sad, and I think that dolphins should be happy together, especially Kurt, because he smiles when he's around you. He didn't used to smile very much. I think you're in love." She looked at him intently. "So that's why."

He squeezed her hand again, then kissed it chivalrously. "Thanks, Brit."

"You're welcome!" She crossed her legs, loosely swinging their hands between the seats. Blaine reflected that this was lovely, and totally platonic, and Brittany was a lot more insightful that people gave her credit for.

Kurt bustled in then, and seeing that there was no seat next to Blaine, flopped into the chair behind Britt, kissing her on the head and shooting his boyfriend a smile. "Hey, boo," he greeted Brit. "No slushie today. I think Jason's still afraid of you."

"He should be afraid of doorknobs," she said seriously, "they can bite you. And dolphins. You have sharp teeth."

Kurt blinked. Blaine shrugged.

"I was just telling Blaine that I won't make out with him, even though I made out with you, because you love him, and he loves you," she informed Kurt.

Kurt shot Blaine a look. Neither of them had said the l-word yet, in the almost three months they'd been officially dating. "Is that right?" he smirked. "Blaine loves me, huh?"

"Of course," said Britt, as though it was obvious. "He worries about you, and he told that one senior that he wouldn't tutor him in chem unless he told the football -"

"How was your day, Kurt?" Blaine interrupted, tugging on Brittany's hand a little.

Kurt's eyes were soft. "A lot better now I'm here." He scooted his chair forward a little, and leaned his head on top of Britt's, holding his closest hand out to his boyfriend. Blaine switched the hand he was holding Brittany's with so that it wasn't awkward, and laced their fingers together.

He was distracted by Mercedes' loud entrance, and looked back in surprise when he felt Kurt's lips touch his knuckles. He smiled when he saw Kurt mouth a quick and quiet "I love you."

He leaned back to press their lips briefly together, and whispered it back, meaning every syllable.

Then Kurt braided Brittany's hair, and she challenged Blaine to a thumb war, and the only things even a little different was that they both glowed, and smiled at each other frequently, with the knowledge that they'd gotten to say it, finally, after all that time. Both Blaine and Kurt knew that McKinley was exactly where they needed to be.

They had never been so glad to be Brittany's dolphins.


	17. Bib

"No," Kurt said definitively, looking Blaine in the eye.

Blaine smiled despite himself. "Kurt, it's not a big-"

"No. Not happening. Ever."

Blaine considered his boyfriend across the table for a moment, then leaned forward. "It's just dinner, Kurt."

Kurt just glared back, and Blaine reflected that it was a good thing they'd gotten to know each other before they started dating, because if this had been anyone else's date, it probably would have ended already due to sheer awkwardness. Instead, he just thought it was all kind of cute.

"It's lobster, Kurt," he said reasonably. "You don't want to get food on your shirt -"

"I," Kurt said, "will be fine. I am not putting this -" he flicked the bright pink bib with his finger disgustedly - " anywhere near my outfit. It clashes. It is the least sexy thing ever."

Blaine, who already had his tucked into his shirt, looked thoughtful. "So… you don't think I look sexy?"

Kurt blinked. "I didn't say that." He waved his hand dismissively, as though it were obvious. "You always look sexy. It's kind of ridiculous what you can pull off."

Blaine smiled, but still looked thoughtful. "So… you think I'm so shallow I won't want to date you if you clash?"

Kurt was beginning to flounder. "Of - of course not. I didn't mean -"

"Because," Blaine continued casually, "I think you should know that there is pretty much nothing that you can wear that will stop me from wanting to rip all of your clothes off and have my wicked way with you." He took a bite of bread.

"Blaine," Kurt hissed after a few deep breaths, his cheeks bright red, "we are in PUBLIC."

"Yes. Yes we are." He braced himself for the snort to come when he said the first thing that came to mind, but was so unbelievably cheesy he knew he'd never hear the end of it. "But I only see you."

He actually saw Kurt melt a little, and took his hand. They looked at each other for a moment, then Kurt frowned.

"Fine!" he said, picking up the bib. "But if you take a picture, I swear, Blaine…"

"Cross my heart," he smiled, watching his adorable boyfriend, sitting in a restaurant, hair perfectly coiffed and designer sweater clinging to him in all the right places, tuck the garish plastic into his collar, just because Blaine asked.

"I love you," he said.

Kurt looked up immediately in shock. He paused, and Blaine freaked out.

"I love you too," Kurt smiled after a moment, squeezing his hand.

Blaine swiped a clean bib from one of the waitresses on the way out. Just as a souvenir.


	18. Cotton Balls

Kurt loved his nighttime rituals.

He also love Blaine.

But then again, he loved looking good for Blaine, and he was slightly concerned that if he skipped his moisturizing routine his skin would turn into a giant cesspit of zits and evil, and his boyfriend wouldn't be able to look at him.

Blaine had been unimpressed by this argument as to why Kurt had to stop making out with him at what he deemed a ridiculously early hour, and go spend quality time with cotton balls and facial scrub.

Usually he'd pout.

It really wasn't fair.

But Kurt had stayed strong. If Blaine loved him, he'd want the best for him, and his best was to be with Blaine. To look good for himself, and by extension for Blaine.

This argument resulted, inevitably, in a very loud fight about Blaine thinking that Kurt thought that he was shallow, and Kurt _actually_ thinking that Blaine was full of it.

This fight inevitably resulted in Kurt storming off for the night, and both of them swearing that they didn't even know why they bothered.

And, equally inevitably, the next morning, Kurt would bring Blaine coffee, and promise not to worry so much about his appearance, because he really did know that Blaine loved him, and would love him, even if he had zits, and Blaine would bring Kurt a little pack of cotton balls, and promise not to be jealous of skincare products, only, could Kurt please realize that he was actually beautiful?

And little by little, Kurt's skincare regimen was cut down. Not to nothing, because he was fabulous, but to something comfortable, something that let Blaine know that Kurt knew that he loved him, and let Kurt show him for a little longer each night that he loved him back.

And this, my friends, is a story of love's ability to compromise…

…eventually.


	19. Rollercoaster

"But… my hair…"

Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand pleadingly and bathed him in a deeply unfair smile, the one with just the right amount of pout to render Kurt incapable of speech. Not that he had inapropriate feeling for him or anything.

"Please," hazel eyes begged. "I just want to go on once. Your hair will be fine."

"But… Blaine, I really -"

"Please, Kurt? I'll do whatever you want."

_Bad brain. Bad, bad brain. Stop that_.

Kurt took a deep breath, nodded, and let a manically grinning Blaine tug him over to the line for the rollercoaster, resigning himself to the fact that as long as Blaine held his hand, and looked at him the way he sometimes did, he'd follow him anywhere.


	20. Diet Coke

It is important to have things in common with your friends. Even if those things happen to be unhealthy addictions to certain brands of soft drinks.

Blaine was the only person Kurt knew who had a diet coke addiction as serious as his. When they started rooming together at Dalton their mini-fridge became the diet coke mecca of the school. They went through a brief rough patch when Blaine strayed to PepsiMax (with lime) for a week, but he eventually saw the error of his ways, and made it up to Kurt by showing up at their door with a crate of the stuff and kissing him into oblivion. About thirty seconds later he asked him on a date.

So when people asked them how they got together, Kurt always said that it was Katy Perry and diet coke.

Because it was the truth. Sort of. Even if it had kind of been inevitable.


	21. Glasses

_[A/N: Just a note for some future drabbles - I will be editing some of them slightly (from the versions posted on tumblr). Nothing major, just some character names in the future fics and suchlike.__]_

* * *

><p>"Blaine, can I borrow your - oh."<p>

Kurt paused in the doorway to his friend's dorm room, the words dead on his lips. Because Blaine had swiveled around in his desk chair automatically at the voice behind him, and it was late on Friday night, and he was clearly just out of the shower, and his hair was all fluffy, and that wasn't even what had distracted Kurt.

Because Blaine didn't have his contacts in.

Kurt had known that Blaine wore contacts. He'd mentioned it once or twice when he blinked really hard, explaining that one had moved in his eye. Kurt had catalogued it in his bank of Blaine-related info and moved on.

What he hadn't dwelled on was that this meant that Blaine might own glasses.

He might even own black horn-rimmed glasses that Kurt was fairly certain he shouldn't find as adorable as he did.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Glasses," he said intelligently.

"Huh?" He tilted his head, then seemed to realize and his hand flew to his face. "Oh, yeah. I don't usually wear them. Contacts are easier. Did you need something?"

"Oh, yeah… I was wondering… I was wondering if you still had your copy of Julius Caesar. Mine has mysteriously vanished." He waved an arm vaguely as Blaine stood and walked over to his bookshelf, which was next to his bed.

"I think so, let me just -" he looked up and found Kurt staring at him. "Do I have something on my face?"

Kurt started. "No… just… the glasses…"

"I can take them off if you can't take me seriously when I wear them," he smiled ruefully.

"No! No… they suit you. They look… they're nice. I like them."

He smiled and pulled a book of the shelf. "Thanks."

Kurt took the book. "I'd better…"

"Yeah, good luck with…"

"You too… I'll see you…"

"Yeah, later. Definitely…"

"Kay. Um… 'night."

" 'night."

Kurt left the room, cursing his mouth(and brain)'s sudden inability to function, while Blaine sat back down in his desk chair to resume his history paper, and instead spent the next fifteen minutes thinking of reasons to wear his glasses more often.


	22. Adele, Drill Team

"Gentlemen," Wes said with great gravity, "we have serious business to attend to."

"Wes, regionals aren't for weeks. Stop with the manic dictator impression. It doesn't suit you."

"Blaine, would you like to address that to the entire room?"

"No, just you."

"Blaine -"

David chimed in. "Perhaps we should get going?"

Wes scowled at his friends. "Right. Anyway, as I was saying, the time has come to announce song selections for regionals -"

"I swear to god, if there's any more Katy Perry -"

"Shut up, Jeff. The council has made our selections and we have decided that Rolling in the Deep will be our set opener -"

"Adele? Awesome!"

"If you could contain yourself until I have finished speaking -" Wes glared at Nick and banged his gavel uselessly.

"That is going to be so good!"

"Can we actually choreograph this one?"

"It's going to be difficult to pair that up with -"

"Gentlemen! This year we will be adding more of a performance element -"

"He means choreography."

"Thad! I was speaking."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, David and Kurt will be in charge of choreography -"

Kurt sat up. "What?"

" -and I have taken the liberty of scheduling twice daily dance practices in order to ensure that -"

"TWICE?" someone asked.

"Daily?" Jeff added.

"Wes, there aren't enough hours in the day," Blaine said reasonably, watching Kurt smile at his new responsibility, the corners of his mouth flicking up. "You can't turn this into boot camp… although…" - his smile widened a little and everyone rolled their eyes knowingly - "maybe extra rehearsals would be a good idea."

Everyone else in the room looked at him like he was insane. Kurt blinked at him and he blushed.

Wes almost snorted.

"Well, now that we have Mr. Anderson's blessing, I suppose it would be alright to continue?…" There was grumbling, but no resistance. "Excellent. Now, these new rehearsals will take place every morning from -"


	23. Toy Box

_[A/N: Remember when I said some of these are more mature than others? Well, this is one of the decidedly PG-13 ones. Language and sexual situations.]_

* * *

><p>"I cannot BELIEVE you would bring that up right now!" Kurt screamed, buttoning his shirt and grabbing his socks from the floor.<p>

Blaine groaned. It seemed he had made a slight error in judgement.

"I didn't mean -"

"You quoted a song," Kurt seethed, "that you made me sing WITH you. To ANOTHER GUY. On VALENTINES DAY."

"I didn't know you were interested in being more than just my friend then," Blaine said, mostly telling the truth. He hadn't thought that Kurt was an option. He hadn't let himself.

Unfortunately, his boyfriend seemed unimpressed with this argument. "Well," he snapped, buttoning his jeans, the ones Blaine had only gotten to peel off him a few minutes before, "I sure as hell am having thoughts about that right now."

He sat up in his bed. "Kurt, I was just mumbling the lyrics because they're sexy… and you're sexy… and I want us to be sexy together, so that there can be… sex." They had been so close. So very close. He reached out his hand and tried to smile.

Kurt slapped it away, he was having none of it. "Well, maybe it's sexy for you, Blaine, but for me it's a reminder that you were telling some blonde hipster moron to keep his toys in the drawer, because he was the shit." He fixed him with a glare. "And _apparently_ that made him your equivalent." He threw his belt back onto the floor in agitation. "I think," he said unevenly, "it might be best if I go home for the weekend."

Blaine had been appalled when Kurt got upset, but that was nothing next to the panic he felt when he saw tears fill those blue eyes. He stood up immediately, shirtless in his boxers, and crossed to his boyfriend, not retreating when Kurt smacked his hands away again.

"Kurt… Kurt… look at me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I upset you just now, and I'm sorry I asked you to sing with me then. But, do you know what? I'm not sorry that we didn't happen earlier, because we got to the place we needed to be, a place where neither of us screwed it up immediately… well, except me just now, because when you're all half naked and on top of me I tend to lose my mind a little, and that song doesn't mean the same thing anymore, because now every song is about you - except the sad ones, because you make me happy, obviously, and you should feel free to stop me talking at any point, or even look at me if you can manage it, because if I have actually fucked this up irrevocably then I'm just going to have to -"

Kurt put his hand over Blaine's mouth. At least he was looking at him now.

"Every song is about me?" he asked, clearly fishing. "Really?"

Blaine grinned. "All the good ones."

His eyes narrowed. "And stupid Gap boy?…"

"Can play with his toys all he likes," Blaine confirmed, tentatively using his thumbs to trace circles on his waist. Kurt allowed it, which encouraged him. "And I was wrong," he added.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "To which specific error are you referring?"

"He wasn't my equivalent."

"Oh." Kurt looked back over at the bed, then at his shirtless boyfriend.

"Plus, those socks were really warm. And… I really do want you _so_ bad…"

"You can stop quoting it now. I'm not leaving."

"I'm not leaving 'til you're leaving," he said with solemnity.

Kurt pushed him back onto the bed, and straddled him. "Shut up, Blaine."

"I can do that."

"Oh, and Blaine?"

"Just for future reference, I keep_ my_ toys in a box, not a drawer."

"… I th… _oh, fuck, yes_…"


	24. Caramel

Wes should have known the ice cream was a bad idea.

But he was hungry, and they were on their way back from a concert, and there was an ice-cream place only slightly out of the way. So he used the power of the gavel to schedule a detour.

The warblers all piled into the booths, and Wes and David saved Blaine and Kurt seats, only to see that the new couple (new as in "we've only been together for a few days, is it socially acceptable to hold hands and kiss in public yet?") had found a secluded booth in the corner, which was actually next to them, so they'd had to walk _past Wes and David_ to get to it, and where they were staring at each other with expressions that, were Wes less addicted to ice-cream, he might have found off-putting. Sickening, even.

I mean, he was all for Blaine and Kurt. Really. But after only a few days of this it was already a little nauseating.

His mood did not improve when Jeff slid into the booth opposite David. At least Nick joined them.

"So," Jeff said, "I guess Blaine and Kurt finally got it together, huh?"

The other three looked pointedly over at the table, where both Blaine and Kurt were clearly trying to work out how best to hold hands across the table. Wes had to fight the urge to help them out and tell one of them to move over so they were sitting together. They seemed to work it out after a while, though.

"Yeah," David nodded. "I wonder if they're going to be this… _cute_ forever."The word cute was both an insult and a compliment.

"Nah," Nick smiled. "Things'll get more normal, and then they'll be able to interact with other people again."

Wes looked over and saw Blaine staring at Kurt, who was picking out an ice-cream flavor, and nearly fall over when Kurt looked up at him, and he was caught, and he wasn't so sure.

* * *

><p>"Mmm… this is really good," Kurt licked his spoon.<p>

Blaine forced his eyes away from his new boyfriend (hey, boyfriend. That was a fun word for him to think. Boyfriend. Kurt. Boyfriend. "_Hi, I'm Blaine, and this is my boyfriend, Kurt."_ Oh, that sounded fun. He should introduce himself to more people. Starting now. Anyway -) and his tongue wrapping around the spoon, and smiled. "Can I try?"

Kurt gestured to Blaine's coffee ice cream, which was drizzled liberally with caramel. "Only if I can try some of yours."

"Deal."

They may or may not have then fed each other ice-cream in a gratuitously couple-y manner.

"You know, I'm kind of like ice-cream," Blaine whispered.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Frozen and filled with calories?"

"No."

He smiled. "Delicious?"

"Well, that too," he blushed.

"What else?"

"When you sit here and look at me, I melt."

Kurt just looked at him for a minute. Blaine noticed he had some caramel on his upper lip. He was a good boyfriend. He decided he should help with that.

"Hey, you've got -" he leaned in, and Kurt leaned in to meet him, and their eyes locked. "Never mind," he said, his lips inches from Kurt's, "I've got it." He let his tongue snake out to lick the tiny smudge of sugar, then lost all interest in people generally as Kurt's hand flew to his cheek and their lips met fully. He was fairly certain he would never get tired of this…

It took a while for them to notice the coughing.

"Ahem," Wes tried. "Blaine! Kurt! Don't get me wrong, you two are the cutest thing since the ice cream I just ate, which was pretty damn cute, but if you're _quite_ done for now… Blaine. Kurt. Earth calling Klaine. EARTH TO KLAINE. DO YOU READ ME, KLAINE?"

They broke apart, and Blaine looked annoyed.

"Klaine?"

"Yes. When you are attached to each other you are Klaine. Or Blurt. You may choose."

"Or Kurt CoBlaine," Jeff added. "That one's good."

"Shut up, Jeff," Wes said. "Or Kurt CoBlaine."

"Did you want something?" Blaine asked waspishly, taking his boyfriend's hand.

"Well, we're leaving, if you'd care to join us."

"Fine," he huffed, standing up and offering a hand to Kurt to help him up. "Let's go, then."

As they headed for the door Kurt turned to Blaine.

"You know," he said, "I don't think you're like ice-cream."

"No?"

"I think you're like a milky way."

"Huh?"

"Well… you're delicious on the outside." He pressed a kiss to his cheek. "And hard in parts…" he very deliberately put one hand on his stomach, the other on his hair, which he'd managed to convince Blaine to cut down on the gel for - it was a work in progress - and smiled a little. "But… when you get to the center, you're just filled with this delicious, sweet, caramel-y goodness."

Blaine couldn't _not_ kiss him. Kurt couldn't not kiss him back with every fibre of his being.

And Wes and David, tired as they were, couldn't not smile when they saw them walking to the bus, hand-in-hand, the very picture of a couple in love.

And, on the bus on the way back, it was lucky that Blaine was there, because it turned out that Kurt still had some tiny traces of caramel on his face.

Don't worry, though. Blaine was there to help.


	25. Desk and Kazoo

Blaine is not perfect.

Kurt realizes this fairly shortly after he starts living with him at Dalton, because Blaine's side of the room tends to perpetually look like it has been hit by a small tornado. He cannot even imagine the amount of effort Blaine must have put into tidying up when he used to come visit. It's actually pretty cute.

Not that he's thinking of Blaine that way, or anything.

This resolution is helped by the fact that Blaine has no concept of personal space, as it pertains to his roommate. Which, when it comes to hugs, Kurt very much appreciates, but when it comes to leaving cups of cold coffee all over his English paper, the one he spent about six hours on, and doesn't have time to reprint so the cover page doesn't have a huge ring on it, and their shared desk in general, he is not such a fan.

Granted, Blaine goes to Ms. Peterson and informs her that it's entirely his fault, and manages to effortlessly worm both of them out of trouble (or, in Kurt's case, a docked grade) and buys him muffins and mochas/coffee (he's alternating) for two weeks to make up for it. (Normally Kurt wouldn't eat muffins, but they're being delivered to him in bed by a cute boy in pajamas and glasses, with a smile like a sunrise, and he's not made of willpower, for god's sake)

He has to say, though, living with Blaine is pretty great, aside from the occasional space issue (and the more common issue of him finding his roommate shirtless and losing the ability to breathe, but he's working on that). They watch Disney movies, Blaine plays guitar for him and they sing along to oldies with their entire floor, and he discovers that the Blaine he thought he knew when he first came to Dalton is not actually Blaine.

Blaine is a dork, and Kurt adores it.

He's watched every episode of Star Trek (every series - even DS9. That's commitment), can quote most of the Harry Potter books from memory, knows the chords to every Disney song by heart…

And, Kurt discovers at the Warblers Christmas Party, when someone spikes the punch (he suspects Jeff, or, rather, Wes does, but no one will admit anything), when he's drunk, Blaine plays a pretty mean kazoo.

He also gets a little more flirty, which is why they fell asleep holding hands, and when they wake up the next morning, with perfect memories and killer hangovers, cursing Jeff to the deepest depths of hell, whether he did it or not, Blaine turns to him and smiles shyly.

"Hey, Kurt… when I said I wanted to kiss you last night, but I couldn't, because you were spinning too quickly…"

"Yeah…"

"You've stopped spinning."

Kurt kisses him, without a thought for morning breath or his skin.

A few minutes later that all comes back to him.

But the intervening minutes make Kurt appreciate that Blaine isn't perfect, but he's something better.

For now, at least, and possibly one day forever, he's all Kurt's.

… and so is his kazoo, which is being confiscated until after midterms.


	26. Aliens

Kurt was totally in favor of Blaine-time. Blaine-time was, in fact, one of his very favorite things.

So when he got a cold, about a month and a half after they officially started dating, and Blaine decided that suddenly he didn't want to go camping with Wes and David for the weekend, like he'd been originally planning to, Kurt protested mildly, but was really quite happy to curl up into his boyfriend's chest and watch movies all weekend.

Blaine had other plans.

"What's Firefly?" Kurt said innocently as Blaine flipped through a magazine, and pointed to Nathan Fillion, saying that no one else could have played his role.

Blaine gasped. Out loud.

And so they watched Firefly.

Kurt wasn't a huge sci-fi fan, and he'd maybe gone a little heavy on the Nyquil, but he had to admit he liked it. Blaine reminded him of that cute doctor guy, who had really nice abs, but not as nice as Blaine's, he told him as he started to drift off.

"You think I'm cuter than Sean Maher?" he heard Blaine grin disbelievingly.

"Mmm… and mine." Kurt snuggled closer, and fell asleep listening to the sound and feel of his boyfriend's musical laugh.

When he woke up Blaine discovered that he'd never seen any of the original Star Trek movies.

"I saw the one with Zachary Quinto," he defended.

You would have thought he'd killed a kitten.

Sunday was spent watching Star Treks one through four, while Kurt made fun of the Klingon make-up, and Blaine tried to get him to drink more orange juice (it didn't have pulp, and Kurt was an orange juice snob).

"The sooner you get better," he twinkled, "the sooner we can stop watching movies."

"But I don't want to turn them off," Kurt said, confused.

"I didn't say we'd turn them off, I just said we'd stop watching them." He winked.

Kurt had never drunk a glass of orange juice so quickly in his life.


	27. Bubbles

"You want to use _**what**_ in our performance?"

"Bubbles, Kurt. Bubbles."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"It's a brilliant idea. Bubbles are cute and sexy, right? That scary woman with the weird taste in coffee said that the judges wanted sexy. We can do sexy."

"Bubbles, Blaine?"

"Maybe not for the actual performance, but it might help us loosen up a little…"

"Can that not be achieved without damage to my wardrobe?"

"Kurt… come on… it'll be fun… I'm inviting some of the girls from County Day…"

"Having another crisis, are we?"

"Oh, shut up. You know the guys will do better if they're showing off. Nick practically salivates every time the school is mentioned."

"Some of you guys have been at an all-boys school for too long."

"Well, I'm not complaining overmuch."

"You are so ridiculous."

"I assume by ridiculous you mean brilliant and adorable."

"You are adorable in the way that that stuffed puppy was adorable -"

"I take that as a compliment -"

"You do that."

"Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"Help me with the foam?"

"I'm doing my math homework."

"No you aren't. You're watching reruns of America's Next Top Model."

"I was just -"

"Cycle _three_. That wasn't even a _good_ one."

"…Fine. But you're buying the coffee."

"I can do that."

"And a cookie."

"Okay."

"And I want to drive."

"Whatever you say."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason. Let's go."


	28. Mumblings

_Written for the Prompt "Sleep Talking Blaine"_

* * *

><p>Kurt noticed it the first night he roomed with Blaine. How could he not? Blaine had muttered something about talking as they changed into their pajamas (very careful to avoid looking at each other, faces flushed), but Kurt didn't really register what he meant until he awoke at 2am.<p>

"…really think you should ask Martin, the lemurs would know…mmmfurdsin… not a paper…if you…"

Only a few words were intelligible.

"Blaine?" he asked. "You okay?"

There was a contented sigh from the other side of the room and it went quiet. Kurt shrugged and fell back asleep.

The next morning, as they were getting ready for school, Blaine opened his mouth several times to speak, then closed it again.

"You look like a goldfish," Kurt commented. "What's up?"

He hesitated. "Oh, nothing… I was just wondering… it doesn't matter."

Kurt eyed him skeptically, but continued to tie his tie. "You weren't kidding about the sleep-talking."

Blaine stiffened as he turned away from the mirror. "I… I'm sorry. Usually it's only when I'm stressed out, or emotionally exhausted. I didn't mean to - I hope I didn't say anything -"

Kurt smiled. "It wasn't a big deal. It barely even bothered me. Something about lemurs?…"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Lemurs?"

"Named Martin, if I recall."

"Oh. Sorry. I'll try to -"

"Don't worry about it. You should have heard Finn's snoring. It was so, so much worse. And that scarf is horrible. Here, borrow this one…"

It really didn't happen all that often - just, as he'd said, when he was stressed out about something. Finals week was particularly bad, and the day before his french final Kurt woke up to one of the most complete sleep-thoughts he'd ever heard from his roommate.

"No, David, he's not…mmmffinteecediff… not interested…inappropriate…friend… coffee…"

Kurt sighs. Blaine was dreaming about Jeremiah. They went out for coffee. It was over a month since the GAP incident, and as Blaine hadn't mentioned blonde-hipster-wannabe since then, he'd kind of thought - well, hoped - that maybe Blaine had realized that his feelings for Jeremiah had faded.

Apparently not.

Kurt couldn't deny that knowing - hearing - that stung. Which is why he rolled over and almost missed the conclusion of Blaine's argument with his subconscious (David).

"Not just anyone… throw this away… this is Kurt… important… to me…"

Hold on a minute.

_Kurt?_

He shouldn't freak out. It was entirely possible he was talking about something else, and not what Kurt wanted desperately to believe.

" 'course… perfect for me… everything about… want to…good enough for him…"

Who the hell was he kidding?

Kurt pulled his blankets up around him. "Blaine?"

Silence. Usually another voice would soothe him back to quiet dreaming.

Kurt bit his lip to keep from squealing out loud and closed his eyes to dream dreams of his own.

"So, Blaine…"

"Mmm?" Blaine sipped his latte, which Kurt had just handed him, and they walked through the entrance hall. It was still early, so there weren't many people around.

"I had the weirdest dream last night?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't remember it, though. Do you remember yours?"

Blaine froze, and Kurt had his answer.

"Not really," he hedged. "Bits and pieces."

"Like… conversations?"

"Sometimes…"

"How about last night?"

"I'm not sure."

"With David?"

Blaine nearly dropped his coffee. "Oh, god. Kurt…"

"It sounded like a very interesting conversation."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't - I am such an idiot, I -"

"You kind of are."

Blaine closed his eyes and took a step away from him. "I know, I shouldn't even be -"

Kurt saw the look on his face and closed the gap, touching his arm. "I can't believe you don't think I feel the same way."

Blaine blinked. "Wh… what?"

"I heard you. Last night. And… Blaine, it's… it's really really good that I did, because I don't think I would ever be able to ask you this otherwise."

Blaine was still blinking. "You mean… wait, ask me what?"

"Would you like to go out to dinner on Thursday?"

"We can't."

Kurt froze. He'd misinterpreted everything. Oh, god. And he'd - oh, god. No. No, he had not just…

"I see, well, I have to - I have to get to class. I'm sorry, I must have - I'll see you later. Or possibly never. I should -"

"No!" Blaine grabbed his arm, almost spilling Kurt's coffee all over them both (which would have been upsetting, because his jacket was new, thank you very much). But Kurt found himself not caring so much about the coffee when Blaine tugged him back, quickly letting go and running his hand through his hair nervously. "I just meant we can't, Kurt -"

"I got that," Kurt snapped. "If you'll -"

" - because we have rehearsal on Thursday, and if we're going to dinner then I… I want to do this properly. Not be rushed to get back before curfew because Wes is a little more insane than usual." He bit his lip and took a deep breath, and when he spoke again his voice seemed more certain. "I don't know how much you heard, or even really what I said, but… I really, really like you, Kurt. And you're my best friend, and I think that the only thing more important to me than kissing you right now is making sure that I don't screw this up."

Kurt took a sharp breath. "Blaine, let's get something straight - metaphorically speaking. If anyone's going to screw this up then it'll be _us_. Together."

"Does that mean you think - you think it'll be worth it?"

"Don't you?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "But I've been so very wrong about things before."

"And you will be again," Kurt smiled, taking his hand. "For example, the gel."

"Not this again…"

"I'm just saying -"

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Don't try to -"

"How's Friday?"

"For what?"

"Dinner."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Blaine?"

"Mmm?"

"I would really, really like that."

"Awesome. That is so… I can't even think of a word for it."

"Now, we need to talk about something."

"What is it?"

"Who is Mr. Snuggles?"

"Oh my god."

"Because I am very interested to hear this story."

"Oh, listen! The bell! We should get going."

"This conversation is not over."

"I'm sure. Hey, Kurt…"

"Mhhm?"

"I really, really like holding your hand."

"…I like it too."

* * *

><p><em>[AN: Slowly clearing the backlog of my tumblr drabbles - bear with me]<em>


	29. Guitar

A/N: More pre-relationship from back in the day. I think it's ridiculous to warn for this, but this uses a Darren Criss song (as a Blaine song). If that's something you don't like, this is one to skip.

* * *

><p>He was walking down the hall, having texted David when Blaine didn't pick up his phone. David had said that Blaine had been in his room the last he'd heard, so Kurt had made his way over to the dorms, intent on giving his friend a lecture about keeping your coffee date waiting after they'd driven two hours to visit (which was a little hypocritical as he'd made Blaine wait half an hour last Friday, when they'd gone to dinner before Rent, but whatever). As he walked down the hall towards Blaine's room he began to pick out music -a guitar. He was listening to a CD, clearly, and had forgotten about coffee. Kurt rolled his eyes, and was about to knock on the door, which was ajar, when there was a silence before the guitar resumed.<p>

_"…The sun: telling me the night is done._  
><em>Well I refuse to let it stop our fun.<em>  
><em>Close your eyes—we'll make it dark again<em>  
><em>And kiss; there's a thought, so how 'bout this?<em>  
><em>Let's pretend that both our lips are made of candy.<em>  
><em>After all, we need sweets every now and then."<em>

He couldn't move. That was Blaine's voice. That was Blaine playing, obviously. He peeked around the door, and saw his friend sitting on his bed, playing and leaning over the notebook in front of him, a pencil behind his ear.

_"Don't you want the way I feel?_  
><em>Don't you want the way I feel?<em>  
><em>Don't you want the way I feel for you?<em>

_Here we are: two strangers in a very different place._  
><em>Who knows what could happen to us next?<em>  
><em>Here we are with nothing but this little spark.<em>  
><em>It's too cold outside to lay this fire to rest.<em>

_Go? How so very apropos:_  
><em>A goodbye just as soon as I said 'Hello."<em>  
><em>Well alright, I'll see you later.<em>  
><em>It's true: it's just a fantasy for two.<em>  
><em>But what's the difference if it all could have been true?<em>  
><em>I guess this is better."<em>

This was a boy that used the word _apropos_ in song. Yes, Kurt did want the way he felt for him, no matter what it was.

_"But don't you want the way I feel?_  
><em>Don't you want the way I feel?<em>  
><em>Don't you want the way I feel for you?"<em>

There was a pause as Blaine stopped to write something down, and Kurt let out a small sigh. The elder boy jumped.

"Kurt, I… how long have you been there?"

"Just a little while. Sorry, the door was… that sounded amazing."

He blushed. "Thanks… it's not done yet, I - oh my god, I was supposed to meet you downstairs." He picked up his phone. "And I have four missed calls. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. The song is… it's awesome."

He looked nervous. "You like it?"

"It's beautiful."

He took a deep breath. "Good, because, you know, I -"

"I thought you guys were going on a not-date," David drawled from the hallway, behind Kurt's head.

Both boys glared at him. "We were just going," Blaine snapped. "Go away, David."

"Touchy. Have fun. Use protection!… those coffee cups can be hoooot!"

Blaine continued to stare daggers at his friend until he disappeared down the hall to his own room.

"You were saying," Kurt asked after a moment.

Blaine's eyes snapped back to him. "Nothing," he smiled. "Let's go. Coffee's on me."


	30. Chicken Nuggets

_A/N: If I remember correctly, klemonademouth prompted this. And now I'm hungry. _

* * *

><p>On Saturday night Wes waltzed into Blaine and Kurt's dorm room, his arms full of plastic bags.<p>

"Did you go shopping," Kurt gasped, "and did you go _without me_?"

"Food," Wes explained. "I decided all this healthy school food was bad for us, so I had that fast food place on Oak street deliver some sweet, salty goodness."

Blaine brightened. "Did you get the potato wedges?"

Wes looked offended. "What kind of person do you think I am? David's stealing more napkins for us, and I decided to be benevolent and share."

"There is enough there for at least ten people," Kurt objected, eyeing the bags warily. Wes set them down and started unpacking boxes, and Kurt hurriedly threw a blanket down onto the floor and moved his jacket out of harms way.

David appeared at the door with a huge pile of napkins, and handed some to Blaine, who was already stuffing potato wedges into his mouth in a deeply undapper fashion.

"Kurt," Blaine said through a mouthful of potato, "you have to try the chicken nuggets. They are fantastic."

"Seriously," David agreed. "They are life changing."

"If they would marry me, I would consider leaving Jo for them," Wes added.

Kurt blinked at him.

"Don't look at me like that," Wes said. "She has a whole thing going on with ice-cream cake on the side."

"Actually," Kurt said, "I've never had chicken nuggets."

Blaine dropped his potato wedge. "What?"

Kurt shrugged. "I always thought it was weird when I was a kid. Chickens don't have nuggets. It freaked me out. I thought they were alien chickens or something."

There was silence for a moment.

"That is the most adorable thing I have ever heard," Blaine blurted out. His cheeks turned red. "I mean… you should try one." He handed Kurt a box. "Are you ready for your first chicken nugget experience? I promise, they're earth chickens."

Kurt regarded them with distaste. "They're so greasy. My skin…"

"Is perfect." Blaine covered his mouth while Wes and David grinned in triumph. "I - um… you should try one."

"You know," Wes mused, "I think we should go steal ketchup. David?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We might be a while. You two… amuse yourselves."

They liked to pretend to themselves that the "oh my god" they heard from Kurt's mouth as they walked down the hall was from more than just his first bite of chicken nugget.


End file.
